A native of Chicago’s South Side, Dominique Elise, 26, moved to New York in 2003 to follow her dream of singing and performing. After attending the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, she got a job with Theater Works USA, a children’s touring theater company and performed in the Off-Broadway play, If You Give a Mouse A Cookie, based on the popular children’s story.

Dominique, like many artists under pressure from families who prefer traditional career choices for their children (she thought she would be an architect), eventually found the strength to dedicate the time and energy to something that she loved, writing, singing, and performing.

“I would rather live in a cardboard box on a street somewhere and make art, than spend my life in a cubicle doing something I didn’t want to do,” said Dominique, who began writing at age eight. Her professional experiences in NYC helped her to redefine her notion of success.
“My whole idea was, success looked like Beyonce vs. [like] Shari Lewis, but [I realized they are] both are doing what they love to do.”

While singing backup for soul singers, Dominique met singer and producer Steve Wallace who encouraged her to write songs. Her first album, “Outside Influence” (available on iTunes and CDBaby), has a Gospel, Soul, and R&B infused sound, a reflection of the African-American music roots in Chicago.

“I think that the new things I’m working on now are definitely more of a reflection of being a single woman in NYC, as opposed to being a black girl from Chicago,” said Dominique. “I had to get those first layers of my experience off and into the world before I could start expressing my newer experiences.”

Those experiences include activism and social responsibility. This Sunday school teacher has done volunteer work in Guatemala, Europe, Central America and Mexico. She’s raising money for a trip to volunteer in Kenya this summer.  In the meantime, she’s writing, recording, and performing at a monthly music showcase produced by comedian Chewy Chiu.

“My goal in my life is to take my passion for volunteering and find a way to blend it seamlessly, peacefully, without conflict, with my being a singer and wanting to tour and perform,” said Dominique who uses a vision wall adorned with her goals and scriptures that reflect what she feels God is telling her.

Singer Dominique Elise

She also is a self-proclaimed “Yogi” and says that yoga has helped her release the engrained patterns of thought that would have prevented her from pursuing her dream.

“We live in a society that says if you haven’t made it by 21 you might as well give up. I feel the reward looks a lot different than what we’re told it is, the reward is the life and the experiences that you have,” said Dominique. “I will ride it till the wheels fall off, and if they do, I will pick them up and put them in the back of the wagon and drag it the rest of the way.”
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SWR New York Event
Join us to hear SWR member singer Dominique Elise, 26, perform on Sat., Feb. 20, 2010.
Broadway Comedy Club Cafe, on West 53rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues in New York City. Doors open at 6 PM; show starts at 6:30 PM. (The Cafe is a separate door, next to the Broadway Comedy Club, which is on 318 West 53rd, NY, NY.) $10 Cover with 2 drink minimum.

Say SingleWomenRule.com at the door and get in for $5!!!!
We will meet at 6 P.M. by the bar.
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SWR Los Angeles founder Vanessa Torres launched her event series in June.  Here’s her post on the first Single Women Rule LA event, from her blog ThatHappenedtome.com

As you guys know, I am the LA Chapter president of SingleWomenRule.com.  What that means exactly, is that I host events for single women professionals in the area.  Tuesday was our launch event and I could not be happier with the way things went.  I invited a bunch of women who I had “met” previously through various channels - some at networking events, and some online - and invited them out to meet, share ideas and generally commiserate about what it’s like to be a working women in this town.  We not only found we had lots in common, but we were psyched to discover we all had complimentary interests and resources despite diverse professional backgrounds.  But most importantly, we were all willing to share our ideas and information.  Exactly the kind of environment I was hoping to create. 

After about 2 1/2 hours, the restaurant wanted to close, so we packed it up and promised to do it again next month.  I am so excited that I am already planning it.  So to those of you who came - thank you for driving out and making room in your busy schedules - and for those of you who couldn’t make it, we will see you next time.  There’s always room at the table at Single Women Rule.

Single Women Rule is a membership organization that meets every month in Connecticut and New York.  We come out to enjoy good food, good beverages and be inspiried by other women who are reveling in life’s

In Connecticut we will meet every third Tuesday; in New York, we will meet every third Thursday.  We are meeting up this month in Connecticut and New York.  (Here’s what happened at last month’s meetups!)

We’re meeting up - to inspire, and be inspired by others - and have fun of course.  Our events are open to anyone! (**But certain discounts are for official SWR members only. **)  Get full event details and RSVP by clicking on the links below.

Single Women Rule NYC

Single Women Rule Connecticut

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Say it loud: I'm single and proud!

So, this morning, a friend, who recently joined our Single Women Rule Facebook group page, gave me a call.  We’ll call her “Susie.”

A male co-worker of Susie’s, contacted a mutual female acquaintance, inquiring about the mental state of said woman.

“Is everything alright with her?,” he prodded. “I saw she joined a Single Women Rule group on Facebook.  Is she okay?”

Now, besides the fact that his actions support my theory that social networking sites turn otherwise sane people into cyberstalkers, I was more disturbed by his implication that because she joined a group called Single Women Rule, that something was “wrong with her.”

This brings me back to the same question, people often ask, when they’re interested in understanding what is the point of Single Women Rule.  Why are we trying to reach single women?

As Terry and I delve further into our journey, we’re noticing thought patterns that expose hostility toward being single, or more-so, towards those who are comfortable with being single (or telling people to be), and the preposterous notion (*rolls eyes*) that we can co-exist with the married.  Read more »